What is Hellenism?
What is Hellenism?
The term "Hellenism"Comes from the Greek hellen -" Hellene "or"Greek". The term has two meanings. Firstly, this is a special period in the history and culture of the ancient states of the Mediterranean, which began with the conquest of Alexander the Great. Secondly, Hellenismohm is any borrowing from the Greek language (Greekism). More often the term is used in the first sense.
Usually for the beginning of the Hellenistic periodtake the campaigns of Alexander of Macedon, and for the end - the conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt by Ancient Rome (about 30 AD). But in the art of the framework of this period are narrower - from the campaigns of Alexander and until the I-II century BC. The author of the term "Hellenism"Is considered the German historian Droysen. As applied to culture, the Hellenistic period in the scientific literature is also called postclassical. The main feature Hellenismbut can be called active disseminationGreek language and way of life in the territories conquered by Alexander the Great (in the states of diadochi), as well as the joint existence and interpenetration of two cultures - Greek and Persian. At the same time, the Greek culture is of a polysyne character, while the Persian one is despotic Eastern. It is during the Hellenistic period that the transition from the polis system to hereditary monarchies takes place. In place of a small and simple in its structure slaveholding system comes large slavery. This happens in connection with the conquest of vast territories - now huge human resources are also needed. In turn, slavery in such large amounts leads to the development of land ownership, and therefore, the need to conquer all the new eastern lands. A kind of vicious circle. At this time, Athens is losing its status as a cultural center - it moves to the east, to Alexandria, the city that Alexander of Macedon founded in North Africa. It is in Alexandria that numerous poets begin to group, therefore the poetry of that period is often called Alexandrian, although to the Alexandria these poets have a very mediocre attitude. During this period, three philosophical schools are being formed - Stoic, Epicurean and Skeptical. Hellenism is in many respects a very contradictory era. On the one hand, the man of this era is completely immersed in everyday life. Household themes penetrate and firmly reign in literature and philosophy. On the other hand, the great importance is acquired by scholarship, which also begins to penetrate even into poetry, creating in it a strong formalistic trend.
